Vibration damper constructions for vehicle friction clutches are well known in the art for reducing drive line vibrations emanating from the vehicle engine which would otherwise cause undesirable characteristics, e.g., impact loads, pulsations, noises, etc. in the transmission and driveline during operation of the vehicle.
Conventional dampers are generally embodied in a clutch driven member assembly interposed between a driving member or vehicle engine and the vehicle transmission. Such an assembly usually includes a clutch driven plate and a spring retainer plate secured together in spaced relation to sandwich therebetween the radial flange of a hub connected to the transmission input shaft; the plates and hub flange having axially aligned sets of windows receiving damper springs. The clutch driven plate normally carries friction facings on its periphery that are adapted to be positioned between an engine flywheel and a clutch pressure plate.
Where the vibration damper is utilized in a lock-up clutch, the damper is interposed between a piston plate actuated by fluid pressure from operation of the torque converter and a hub operatively connected to the turbine hub and/or to the transmission input shaft. As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,188,805, the damper assembly includes a hub with at least two radial arms, drive input means connected to the piston plate and axially aligned with the hub arms, floating equalizers journalled on the hub and having oppositely disposed arms, and damper springs positioned between the hub arms and equalizer arms; the drive input means being located in the path of the damper springs.
The present invention provides a simplified vibration damper assembly adapted for use in either a vehicle friction clutch or a torque converter lock-up clutch.